– Will limit CO2 emissions by over 100 million tonnes per year
Members of the cluster are granted 703 million in project funding through the Green Platform Initiative. Through this initiative, one billion NOK will be given in grants over the next three years to promote a green transition in the industrial sector.
– Norway can become a leader in industrial digitalization and the energy transition. Sharing knowledge and data gives us a competitive advantage that we must build on. We are glad that our contribution to the ecosystem will ensure the project’s success, says John Markus Lervik CEO and Co-Founder of Cognite.
Together with Aker Solutions, Lundin Energy Norway AS, SINTEF Energy, and other partners, they have been granted 111 million NOK for the large-scale Carbon links (LINCCS) project. The project aims to cut costs for new carbon storage facilities by 70 percent.
– This will be achieved through optimization of the CO2 value chain, by focussing on transport and large-scale permanent storage of carbon after it is captured, says Lervik.
– These types of projects contribute to the energy transition and building new renewable industries in Norway while harvesting existing expertise and competence, says John Markus CEO of Cognite.
Carbon Links is a part of the Northern Lights CO2 storage project. Their innovative plans will further enhance this project by connecting the CCS value chain more quickly than would be possible if the industrial partners did this separately, says Research Leader at SINTEF Energy Francesco Finotti.
SINTEF Energy will contribute its interdisciplinary expertise and extensive knowledge of CO2 thermodynamics to design cost-effective transport and injection systems.
– LINCCS is an ambitious project with broad support in the industry. It will limit CO2 emissions by more than 100 million tonnes per year, create values for more than NOK 8 billion a year, contribute to 1,000 jobs and create an export potential of around NOK 5 billion a year by 2030, says Finotti and adds:
– We have ambitions to be the industry’s supporter of technology development, and we are happy that we managed to get a role through the Green Platform to build a larger CCS ecosystem. Our ambition is to be the industry’s main supporter of technology development. We are very pleased that the Green Platform has provided us with a role in building a large CCS ecosystem. The funds help us to increase competence and build professional profiles within CCS and low-carbon technologies.
Research leader at SINTEF Energy Francesco Finotti.
Carbon Links, which is necessary to ensure cost-effective operation, will be built by 2030.
There was fierce competition for the funds. Of the 44 project applications that were submitted, only 11 projects received support. The projects were thoroughly assessed, both by national and international experts. This autumn, 125 million NOK will be allocated to projects.
Here you will find an overview of the projects that have received funding.
Simplify power transmission offshore
Fred Olsen Renewables AS, ABB Power grids Norway, Benestad Solutions, Equinor, and other partners have been granted 82,7 million in funding for the project Green Platform Ocean Grid.
– Already in 2016, ABB and Aker Solutions established an alliance to shed light on subsea – power distribution and automation. The project is a part of this collaboration and focuses on creating a subsea substation that will cover the offshore wind market, says Group Senior Vice President, Subsea and Offshore Power at ABB Asmund Maland and adds:
– If successful, this will simplify power transmission offshore, because offshore substation is avoided. Today this is required to transmit power from the wind turbines. When moving this subsea it will lower the development and maintenance costs.
The project aims to produce new knowledge and solutions that enable the profitable development of offshore wind on the Norwegian shelf, both bottom-fixed and floating. The biggest technology promise lies in developing a connection system that can handle higher voltages than current solutions.
– The goal is to upgrade equipment and components so that the capacity becomes larger and thus more attractive to the offshore wind industry, says Maland.
Green Platform for a green future
Through the initiative, companies and research institutes receive funding for research- and innovation-driven green transformation. The scheme is a collaboration between the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway, Siva, and Enova.
The platform was launched in the government’s third package of financial measures because of the corona pandemic in May 2020, writes Forskningsrådet.
– We created The Green Platform initiative because we wanted to speed up the green transition on the way out of the corona pandemic. These awards increase the pace of development and lay the foundation for a more sustainable and competitive business community in the future, says Minister of Trade and Industry Iselin Nybø.
NOK 1.1 billion has been set aside for the Green Platform in the period 2021-2023. The facility is in line with the EU’s Green Deal and will make Norwegian companies and research institutions better equipped to meet the opportunities that open in the EU’s research and innovation program Horizon Europe.
– It is through research that we create tomorrow’s sustainable society. We don´t have much time, and the prerequisite for success is increased investment in research and innovation. Norway needs a change of pace in investments in research and innovation, both in the short and long term. Therefore, we have taken the initiative to put in place large research and innovation-based restructuring agreement to get the necessary direction and power, says CEO of Forskningsrådet Mari Sundli Tveit.